Image: B.C. Lottery Corporation / Raymond Bailey and Beverley Poitras of Chilliwack have won a Set for Life prize of $675,000.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Chilliwack couple wins

A craving for ginger ale leads to a big jackpot for Chilliwack couple

Feb 24, 2025 | 12:17 PM

CHILLIWACK — Who could have predicted that a simple request for ginger ale would lead to a massive jackpot for two Chilliwack residents?

B.C. Lottery Corporation says Beverley Poitras and her husband Raymond Bailey not only quenched their thirst by getting a drink at Canco on Vedder Road, but also won Set for Life’s top prize of $675,000 by purchasing a ticket.

“I was in the parking lot and decided to scratch the ticket,” Bailey recalled as he realized they had won. “The first thing I wanted to do was call the BCLC hotline number. The lady on the phone first told me to scan the ticket on my phone and then get it validated in a store.”

When you win big, you gotta tell your better half right away. Bailey then called his wife.

“He woke me up and I was kind of shocked! I had asked him to get a bottle of ginger ale and he ended up buying the winning ticket!” said Poitras.

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The Chilliwack couple don’t have immediate plans on how to spend their winnings, but do look forward to relaxing and enjoying life more together with this windfall.

“We are still shocked!” Bailey said on how it feels to win.

In 2024, B.C. lottery players redeemed more than $137 million in Scratch & Win prizes.

Players can purchase tickets at lottery retailers or at PlayNow.com. Players can check their lottery tickets anytime, anywhere using the BCLC Lotto! App.